Feu!! by Kadira Kerkhoff (February 2000) Something is wrong, Mael thought after he awoke from the death sleep. But only after some moments he realized what it was. It was frighteningly quiet. Too quiet for a city of this seize. Even in this late evening hours Moscow was normally filled with life. But now it was covered with a blanket of silence. Only a few French accented speaking voices and even less in the melodic native language of this strange but nevertheless interesting country. Time to see what the reason for this strange stillness is, Mael thought while leaving the house in which he had found shelter for the day.Stepping out of the deserted small street, he made his way to the Krasnaja Ploshad where he stopped, shocked by the picture in front of him. Fire. Everything was on fire. Deadly yellow-red flames had found their way through the streets and had destroyed everything and everyone who dared to come near them. Exhausted looking men in uniforms of the French army were running around, trying to escape the inferno which unfolded in front of them. Singular cries reached the ears of the vampire who stared mesmerized at the burning town."Moscou brûle!""Ces connard russe nous ont mis au feu!""Retraite! Before there is no escape anymore.", a young soldier, more a child than a man, cried desperately before he was buried alive under the roof of a burning house. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. A terrible scent, which awoke long past and forgotten memories in the vampire.**As if he had made a journey back in time, the location changed and Mael found himself again in the middle of a stone ring. Samhain as he could see on the small fires which encircled the holy circle. Fires to save the people for unbidden guests of the 'otherworld', while Mael tried to get in contact with the shadow of Merlin to beg for his help and advice.Bedd Ann ap lleian ymnewais fynyddLluagor llew YmraisPrif ddewin Merdin Embrais...And then the culmination of the ritual. A young man was lead in front of him. Proudly, the chosen one raised his head to show his pride in to be the one to meet the gods. To be the one who would regain the benevolence of the gods for his people. There was never fear in their eyes when they were lead into the flames of the pyre in the middle of the circle. Only the knowledge that something bigger than they could even start to imagine would wait for him when they reached their next destination.**How often had he lead lead people into the fire, into death? For a faith in a useless, and to this time already dying religion? Mael couldn't recall it anymore. Only that it had been far too many. Young men deprived of their lives. For nothing. This he had learned in a painful way when he had become the creature he was now.Shaking his head to suppress the disturbing images and memories, he returned to the present and fixed his eyes once more on the flaming inferno in front of him. No, not even so long ago when he had been like this. He had never sentenced to death people in willful violence like here. Everything he had done he had thought he did for the will of his gods, for the benefit of his people, and not to cause such a slaughter.It was time to move on. Not only this country was not safe anymore, but it had become disgusting with this sudden potential for violence. But then again, wasn't this the course the world took? Like wild animals, humans slaughtered themselves up for a piece of land, for power, everywhere. It was the nature of mankind never to be satisfied with the things they had, they always strove for more. And they would do everything for it, even when it implied wiping their whole race away.Mael couldn't keep up anymore with the constant changes of this world. Just when he had got used to something, it was already away, replaced by something new and unknown. Everything changed in the world, but not him. He felt so tired by all this. Maybe it was time for him to go into the earth. Maybe it would have been necessary a long time ago. Embracing the never-ending invariable safety of the earth's darkness until he felt refreshed again, until he could deal with this all once more ... Sighting the vampire turned his back to a city, of which only a mass grave of smoking ruins would be left soon.- - End --*************Translation:Krasnaja Ploshad - the Red SquareMoscou brûle! - Moscow is burning.Ces connard russe nous ont mis au feu! - These Russian bastards set us on fire.Retraite! - Retreat!--Bedd Ann ap lleian ymnewais fynydd.Lluagor llew Ymrais.Prif ddewin Merdin Embrais:The Grave of the Son of the Nun on Mountain Newais:Master of the Fight, Lew Emrys,Highest sorcerer, Meryddin Embrais.--
